The Sexiest Jeans Ever

1. Brooke Shields

"You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." When 15-year-old Brooke Shields delivered that infamous line, the world gasped…and bought Calvin Klein jeans. Either because of her age or the skin-baring commercials (one of which had her shimmying into a pair of skinnies) the outcry was continuous, but the designer's response was unapologetic: "Jeans are sex."

courtesy Jordache

2. Heidi Klum

As a riding crop-wielding Jordache girl, Heidi Klum gave up the secret behind the perfect pair of skinnies: "The butt has to look good." Director Brett Ratner shot Klum's topless ads in L.A.'s Chateau Marmont, declaring: "I grew up in love with every Jordache girl." With a view like that, who can blame him?

Courtesy MGM

3. Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe demonstrated the appeal of jeans in some of her earliest photo shoots, later filling out a perfect pair of Levi's in the Western drama The Misfits. Decades after her death, Tommy Hilfiger purchased three pairs of her jeans at auction for $42,550, gifting one of the high-waisted, curvy pairs to sex symbol Britney Spears.

Courtesy Jive Records

4. Britney Spears

With her sculpted abs and curvaceous rear, Britney Spears was made to wear the ultra low-rise jeans that marked the millennium. In her steamy 2001 video for "I'm a Slave 4 U", the pop star writhed around in a barely-there costume, inspiring sit-ups.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

5. Jane Birkin

English-born actress and singer Jane Birkin conquered France with the sort of easy glam that could inspire, well, a bestselling Hermes bag, for one. The style icon (shown here in 1973 lounging on a dock in the Cote d'Azur, mais oui) wore her Made in Heaven wide-leg jeans with thin tees or girlish eyelet shirts.

Courtesy Everett Collection

6. Raquel Welch

"This is the world's sexiest robbery!" declared the posters for the 1968 crime caper The Biggest Bundle of Them All, surely referring to the scene-stealing curves of star Raquel Welch. When she wasn't costumed in the tiniest of bikinis, Welch spent her screen time poured into equally seductive hip-huggers.

Courtesy Guess

7. Claudia Schiffer

Who needs a shirt when you've got great jeans (and great genes)? In 1989, A teenaged Claudia Schiffer channeled Brigitte Bardot for Guess?-and became an overnight star in the shoot by Ellen von Unwerth.

Ron Galella/WireImage

8. Jackie Onassis

The former First Lady embodied '70s ease in a pair of tie-dye jeans and Henley sweater. With her pared-down approach to casual wear, it's no wonder Jackie O was originally approached to helm the designer denim line that later became Gloria Vanderbilt jeans.

AMERICAN BROADCASTING COMPANIES/Getty Images

9. Farrah Fawcett

A Jordache-clad Farrah Fawcett hopped on a skateboard (and showed off her enviable assets) for a 1976 episode of her hit detective series,Charlie's Angels. The reason for her sporty attire? She was rolling away from danger, naturally!

Dave Hogan/Getty Images

10. Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey's 1999 "Heartbreaker" video did more than get people dancing-it got them cutting up their designer denim in imitation of the sexy diva. Stylist Tonjua Twist took scissors to the waistband of a pair of jeans because Carey "didn't want to wear anything anybody can buy in the store."

courtesy Everett Collection

11. Brigitte Bardot

Playing a movie star in hiding from persistent fans, Brigitte Bardot made a bicycle and straw hat seem like viable tools of seduction in the 1962 film A Very Private Affair. Certainly her full lips, just-rolled-out-of-bed mane and doe eyes had something to do with her appeal, but her curves set off in weathered denim certainly didn't hurt. Offscreen, Bardot was known to favor (and fill out) all-American 501s.

courtesy Everett Collection

12. Faye Dunaway

In her crisp white jeans and camel turtleneck, Faye Dunaway proved that one could smolder without showing skin. For Dunaway's jet-setting detective character in 1968's The Thomas Crown Affair, costumer Theadora Van Runkle planned a timeless wardrobe with couture leanings, even when it came to denim: "Everything was handmade."

Artisan Entertainment/courtesy Everett Collection

13. Jennifer Grey

Who didn't want to be Baby Houseman, crawling across the floor in her jean shorts towards her smoking hot dancing instructor? Not only did the 1987 hit Dirty Dancing launch the careers of Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze, but it inspired millions of teenaged girls to crop their fathers' jeans into '60s-style cutoffs. (Sorry, Dad!)

Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection(2)

14. Catherine Bach & Jessica Simpson

Named after the Duke boys' extremely persuasive cousin, Daisy Dukes require only the tiniest amount of denim and a whole lot of self-confidence. In fact, the micro-shorts were worn to such great effect by Catherine Bach on the 1979 TV series The Dukes of Hazzard, that Jessica Simpson amped up her workout routine for the 2005 movie remake: "I never had a butt before-I had to do Daisy proud."

Courtesy Rolling Stone

15. Janet Jackson

Okay, so maybe the jeans aren't exactly the focus of Janet Jackson's infamous 1993 Rolling Stone cover. But along with the pop icon's serene gaze and a strategically placed pair of hands (generously provided by then-husband Rene Elizondo Jr.), the undone jeans undoubtedly added to the seductive quality of the Patrick Demarchelier shot.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

16. Jean Seberg

In her oversize rolled denim and striped top, Breathless gamine Jean Seberg personified the unstudied cool of a Frenchwoman-even though she hailed from Iowa. As the ex-patriot once said, "I miss that casualness and friendliness of Americans, the kind that makes people smile. I also miss blue jeans, milk shakes, thick steaks and supermarkets."

Courtesy of Pepsi/ Getty Images

17. Cindy Crawford

The first time Cindy Crawford wore a pair of cutoffs to down an ice-cold Pepsi it was 1991 and she was a 25-year-old supermodel. Eleven years later, in 2002, she reprised her role (this time with a Diet Pepsi) for a Superbowl ad that revealed her two real-life kids and the tagline of, "Some things never change. And some things do." Certainly left unchanged was her ability to seduce millions with a pair of short shorts.

Kristin Callahan/Everett Collection

18. Sarah Jessica Parker in 'Sex and the City 2'

The hit HBO series was synonymous with must-have fashion trends, so when the movies came out, we knew the fashion would be equally buzz-worthy. For the second installment of the film version, Carrie Bradshaw hit the New York City streets in a pair of light wash, high-waisted blues that she playfully paired with spiked platform pumps and a cropped plaid button-front.

AKM-GSI

19. Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian brings back the denim skirt, but this time, the silhouette is far more sophisticated than the skin-tight minis that ruled the late '90s. For a summer day in California, Kardashian stepped out wearing a light-blue Frame Denim number. The reality queen topped off the distressed design with a barely-buttoned up chambray shirt, accessorizing with sleek strappy sandals and oversize sunnies.

Courtesy

20. Cara Delevingne for DKNY

Cara Delevingne made her mark on Manhattan as the face of DKNY. For the campaign, the London-born model worked an all-white ensemble featuring lace-up jeans on the bustling New York City streets.

Courtesy

21. Miranda Kerr for 7 For All Mankind

Miranda Kerr went topless for the 7 For All Mankind Fall/Winter 2014 campaign-earning a well-deserved spot on our list! In a short video for the brand, Kerr dishes about her love for the jeans. “I love the way they fit. They feel so good,” she says.

Up Next:

Brooke Shields

"You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." When 15-year-old Brooke Shields delivered that infamous line, the world gasped…and bought Calvin Klein jeans. Either because of her age or the skin-baring commercials (one of which had her shimmying into a pair of skinnies) the outcry was continuous, but the designer's response was unapologetic: "Jeans are sex."
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